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v. 15.0 – 11 Oct. 2024  view/download PDF

Family CICHLIDAE Cichlids (part 5 of 7)

Subfamily PSEUDOCRENILABRINAE African Cichlids (Palaeoplex through Yssichromis)

Palaeoplex Schedel, Kupriyanov, Katongo & Schliewen 2020    palaeoplex, a key concept in geoecodynamics representing the total genomic variation of a given species in a given landscape, the analysis of which theoretically allows for the reconstruction of that species’ history; since the distribution of P. palimpsest is tied to an ancient landscape (upper Congo River drainage, Zambia), the name refers to its potential to elucidate the complex landscape evolution of that region via its palaeoplex

Palaeoplex palimpsest Schedel, Kupriyanov, Katongo & Schliewen 2020    named for how its palaeoplex (see genus) is like a palimpsest (a parchment manuscript page, common in medieval times that has been overwritten after layers of old handwritten letters had been scraped off, in which the old letters are often still visible), revealing how changes in its landscape and/or ecological conditions affected gene flow and left genetic signatures by overwriting the genome several times, whereas remnants of more ancient genomic signatures still persist in the background; this has led to contrasting hypotheses regarding this cichlid’s phylogenetic position

Pallidochromis Turner 1994    pallidus, pale, referring to pale coloration of all specimens observed at the time; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Pallidochromis tokolosh Turner 1994    a malevolent spirit in languages of central and southern Africa, referring to long snout, bulging eyes and sagging pot-belly of specimens trawled from deepwater as represented in carvings made around Lake Malawi                                

Paracyprichromis Poll 1986    para-, near, referring to similarity to Cyprichromis, a closely related genus

Paracyprichromis brieni (Poll 1981)    in “grateful memory” (translation) of friend and zoological colleague Paul Brien (1894-1975), Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)

Paracyprichromis nigripinnis (Boulenger 1901)    nigri-, black; pinnis, fin, referring to its “blackish” fins (light blue on males in life, perhaps blackish in alcohol)

Paragobiocichla Schliewen & Weiss 2019    para-, near, i.e., phylogenetically close to Gobiocichla, original genus of P. irvinei

Paragobiocichla irvinei (Trewavas 1943)    in honor of botanist and science teacher Frederick Robert Irvine (1898-1962), later (1947) author of The Fishes and Fisheries of the Gold Coast (now called Ghana), who collected type

Paralabidochromis Greenwood 1956    para-, near, “closely related morphologically” to Labidochromis vellicans of Lake Malawi

Paralabidochromis victoriae Greenwood 1956    of Lake Victoria, Uganda, where it is endemic

Parananochromis Greenwood 1987    para-, near, presumed sister genus to Nanochromis

Parananochromis axelrodi Lamboj & Stiassny 2003    in honor of pet-book publisher Herbert R. Axelrod (1927-2017), for his “generous support of ichthyological research and exploration”

Parananochromis brevirostris Lamboj & Stiassny 2003    brevis, short; rostrum, beak or snout, referring to its short, rounded snout

Parananochromis caudifasciatus (Boulenger 1913)    caudi-, tail; fasciatus, banded, referring to numerous dark bars on caudal fin

Parananochromis elobatus Lamboj 2014    e-, not; lobatus, lobed, referring to short lappets on dorsal fin, compared to elongated lappets on P. brevirostris

Parananochromis gabonicus (Trewavas 1975)    –icus, belonging to: Gabon, where it is endemic

Parananochromis longirostris (Boulenger 1903)    longus, long; rostris, snout, referring to longer and narrower snout compared to Benitochromis batesii, its presumed congener at the time

Parananochromis moutingae Ibala Zamba, Liyandja, Lamboj, Snoeks & Vreven 2022    in honor of the authors’ late colleague, Anette Ngoma Mouninga (1978-2012), for her efforts during several ichthyological expeditions to the Lefini River (Republic of the Congo, 2004-2008), including the trip during which this species was discovered, and “in remembrance of the good times we shared”

Parananochromis ornatus Lamboj & Stiassny 2003    handsome or splendid, referring to its attractive coloration

Parananochromis orsorum Lamboj 2014    in honor of Rose and Tony Orso (Vernon, New Jersey, USA), aquarium-fish importers, who helped Lamboj import a number of new cichlid species over the years and donated specimens for scientific research; this provided the initial stimulus to check collections for additional species of Parananochromis

Pelmatochromis Steindachner 1894    etymology not explained, presumably pelmatos, sole of foot or shoe, but in this case possibly meaning mat, pad or cushion, referring to cushion-like papillose pad of mucous membrane on each side of palate of P. buettikoferi and P. (now Tylochromis) jentinki, the character Steindachner used to distinguish this genus (originally a subgenus) from Paratilapia; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Pelmatochromis buettikoferi (Steindachner 1894)    in honor of Swiss zoologist Johann Büttikofer (1850-1927), who collected type

Pelmatochromis nigrofasciatus (Pellegrin 1900)    nigro-, black; fasciatus, banded, referring to six large transverse black bars on body, often visible in preserved specimens

Pelmatochromis ocellifer Boulenger 1899    ocellus, eye spot; fero, to bear, referring to large blackish, light-edged ocellus on last spines and anterior soft rays of dorsal fin

Pelmatolapia Thys van den Audenaerde 1969    etymology not explained, proposed as a subgenus of Tilapia and presumably combining the names of two other tilapiine subgenera recognized by the author, Pelmatochromis and Tilapia

Pelmatolapia cabrae (Boulenger 1899)    in honor of Alphonse Cabra (1862-1932), Belgian army officer from Kaika Zobé, Angola, who collected type [although named after a man, some classically trained zoologists latinized the names of individuals whose names ended with the letter “a” by adding an “e” to the spelling]

Pelmatolapia mariae (Boulenger 1899)    in honor of writer and explorer Mary Henrietta Kingsley (1862-1900), who “obtained” type 

Pelvicachromis Thys van den Audenaerde 1968    pelvica-, referring to pelvic fins, pointed in males, rounded in females; chromis, short for Pelmatochromis, proposed as a subgenus of that genus

Pelvicachromis drachenfelsi Lamboj, Bartel & Dell’Ampio 2014    in honor of German aquarist Ernst-Otto von Drachenfels, “friend and promoter” of the authors’ research, “without his help this work would not have been possible”

Pelvicachromis kribensis (Boulenger 1911)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Kribi River, southern Cameroon, type locality

Pelvicachromis pulcher (Boulenger 1901)    beautiful, probably referring to “beautiful rose-colour” below lower lateral line

Pelvicachromis roloffi (Thys van den Audenaerde 1968)    in honor of German aquarist Erhard Roloff (1903-1980), who “contributed so much” to the general knowledge of fishes from Sierra Leone, where this cichlid is endemic

Pelvicachromis sacrimontis Paulo 1977    sacrum, holy; montis, mountain, Latin transliteration of surname of German-American neuroethologist Walter Heiligenberg (1938-1994), who specialized in the motivational behaviors of cichlids and crickets (he was killed in the crash of USAir Flight 427 on his way to deliver a lecture at the University of Pittsburgh)

Pelvicachromis silviae Lamboj 2013    in honor of Lamboj’s wife Silvia, “as a ‘thank you’ in accepting long absences of mine in mind and body, and in endurance of my usage of many resources for my work. Without her understanding and support, all my works would never have been possible.”

Pelvicachromis subocellatus (Günther 1872)    sub-, somewhat; ocellatus, having little eyes, referring to ocellated spots “present or absent” on middle of anterior soft dorsal-fin rays and upper caudal-fin rays

Pelvicachromis taeniatus (Boulenger 1901)    banded, referring to two blackish longitudinal bands on each side

Perissodus Boulenger 1898    perissos, extraordinary; odous, tooth, referring to “extraordinary” dentition of P. microlepis (“rather large, unequal in size, few, with swollen bases and low slightly-notched crowns, compressed transversely to the axis of the jaws, disposed in a single series”

Perissodus eccentricus Liem & Stewart 1976    eccentric (ex-, out of; kentron, center, i.e., off center), referring to asymmetric teeth and jaws, “strange or unconventional” morphology, and inferred scale-feeding behavior in which individuals can use only one side of mouth to bite scales from prey

Perissodus elaviae (Poll 1949)    in honor of Capt. Elavia Nariman, commander of the Baron Dhanis during most of the scientific cruises undertaken by the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission (1946-1947), during which type was collected [although presumably named after a man, some classically trained zoologists latinized the names of individuals whose names ended with the letter “a” by adding an “e” to the spelling]

Perissodus microlepis Boulenger 1898    micro-, small; lepis, scale, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its relatively small cycloid scales

Perissodus multidentatus (Poll 1952)    multi-, many; dentatus, toothed, referring to having (on average) more teeth than any of its congeners

Perissodus paradoxus (Boulenger 1898)    strange or contrary to expectation, allusion not explained; according to Konings (2015), referring to tooth structure consisting of a single row of 15-20 very large hooked teeth in each jaw

Perissodus straeleni (Poll 1948)    in honor of paleontologist-carcinologist Victor van Straelen (1889-1964), Director, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, and sponsor of the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946-1947), during which type was collected

Petrochromis Boulenger 1898    petro-, stone, presumably referring to Mbity Rocks, Lake Tanganyika, one of the type localities of P. polyodon (members of genus scrape algae from rocks, but Boulenger did not mention this behavior in his initial [abstract] and more-detailed follow-up descriptions); chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Petrochromis ephippium Brichard 1989    saddle, referring to broad saddle-like rectangular light-colored patch under dorsal fin, contrasting with darker body color

Petrochromis famula Matthes & Trewavas 1960    Latin for female slave or maid servant, referring to the following folkloric (presumably African) story: “A certain family who lived in a village where everyone had a crooked mouth, found that neither father, mother, son nor daughter could blow out the candle one night, for they blew either up or down or left or right. So they woke the little serving maid who was from the next village and had a perfectly symmetrical mouth, and she put out the candle – with her little slipper”; allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its symmetrical or nearly symmetrical jaws and/or distinctive dentition of the genus (very broad bands of minute, bristle-like, movable teeth with recurved tricuspid crowns) compared to other cichlids with much narrower tooth bands and fewer tooth rows, thereby making Petrochromis among other cichlids like the serving maid among the crooked-mouthed villagers (Max E. Lippitsch, pers. comm.)

Petrochromis fasciolatus Boulenger 1914    banded, referring to blackish vertical bands on body

Petrochromis horii Takahashi & Koblmüller 2014    in honor of fish ecologist Michio Hori, Kyoto University (Japan), who suggested that this fish might represent an undescribed species

Petrochromis macrognathus Yamaoka 1983    macro-, long or large; gnathus, jaw, referring to upper jaw, which forwardly projects more than its congeners

Petrochromis orthognathus Matthes 1959    orthos, straight; gnathus, jaw, allusion not explained, probably referring to its equal jaws (“mâchoires égales”)        

Petrochromis polyodon Boulenger 1898    poly, many; odon, tooth, referring to very broad bands of minute, bristle-like teeth

Petrochromis trewavasae Poll 1948    in honor of Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900-1993), “distinguished curatrix” of fishes at the British Museum (Natural History) and “well-known” specialist in African cichlids (translations)

Petrotilapia Trewavas 1935    combination of Petrochromis and Tilapia, referring to how its dentition parallels that of the former genus but its relationships are presumed to belong with the latter

Petrotilapia chrysos Stauffer & van Snik 1996    gold, referring to gold coloration of numerous non-territorial males that can be seen in the shallows

Petrotilapia flaviventris Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings 2011    flavus, yellow; ventris, belly, referring to yellow underside of adult males

Petrotilapia genalutea Marsh 1983    gena, cheek; lutea, orange, referring to characteristic orange cheeks of adult males

Petrotilapia microgalana Ruffing, Lambert & Stauffer 2006    micro-, small; galanos, blue, i.e., “small blue,” a provisional name given by Ribbink et al. (1983), referring to size (smallest in genus among species known at the time) and sky-blue coloration of males

Petrotilapia mumboensis Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings 2011    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Mumbo Island, Lake Malawi, type locality and where it is very common (also collected at Thumbi West and Mbenji islands)

Petrotilapia nigra Marsh 1983    black, referring to dominant color of territorial males

Petrotilapia palingnathos Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings 2011    palin, back or backwards; gnathos, jaw, referring to shorter lower jaw, distinctly backwards (i.e., opposite) from that of its congeners

Petrotilapia pyroscelos Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings 2011    pyros, fire; skelos, leg, referring to orange pelvic fins of males

Petrotilapia tridentiger Trewavas 1935    tri-, three; dens, teeth; –iger, to bear, presumably referring to how teeth end in expanded tricuspid tips (per Marsh 1983)

Petrotilapia xanthos Lundeba, Stauffer & Konings 2011    yellow, referring to color of breeding males

Pharyngochromis Greenwood 1979    pharyngo-, presumably referring to enlarged pharyngeal teeth and/or stouter pharyngeal bone compared to Chetia; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Pharyngochromis acuticeps (Steindachner 1866)    acutus, sharp; ceps, head, referring to its “sharply pointed” (translation) head

Placidochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989    placidus, quiet or placid, referring to how none of its species known at the time (with the probable exception of P. subocularis) occur or are adapted for life in swift water; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Placidochromis acuticeps Hanssens 2004    acutus, sharp or pointed; ceps, head, referring to “angular, pointed” shape of head

Placidochromis acutirostris Hanssens 2004    acutus, sharp or pointed; rostris, snout, referring to its pointed snout

Placidochromis argyrogaster Hanssens 2004    argryos, silver; gaster, belly, referring to silvery belly in preserved specimens

Placidochromis boops Hanssens 2004    bo, ox; ops, eye, referring to its large eyes (34.0-38.2% of HL)

Placidochromis borealis Hanssens 2004    northern, referring to its occurrence in the extreme north of Lake Malawi (Wissman Bay, Tanzania)

Placidochromis chilolae Hanssens 2004    of Chilola Bay, Lake Malawi, Mozambique, type locality

Placidochromis communis Hanssens 2004    general or common, referring to its “unremarkable” appearance

Placidochromis domirae Hanssens 2004    of Domira Bay, Lake Malawi, Malawi, type locality

Placidochromis ecclesi Hanssens 2004    in honor of David H. Eccles (b. 1932), Senior Fisheries Research Officer of Malawi, for his work on the biology, evolution and taxonomy of Lake Malawi cichlids

Placidochromis electra (Burgess 1979)    amber or splendor, i.e., something bright, referring to bright blue of breeding males

Placidochromis elongatus Hanssens 2004    elongate, referring to its body shape

Placidochromis fuscus Hanssens 2004    dark brown or dark, referring to dark melanin pattern in mature males

Placidochromis hennydaviesae (Burgess & Axelrod 1973)    in honor of Henny Davies, wife of Lake Malawi fish exporter Peter Davies; this “husband and wife team has made many new aquarium fishes available” from the lake

Placidochromis intermedius Hanssens 2004    intermediate or middle, referring to its “typical, average” Placidochromis shape

Placidochromis johnstoni (Günther 1894)    in honor of Sir Harry Johnston (1858-1927), British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator, who “transmitted” central African reptiles, batrachians and fishes to the British Museum (Natural History), including type of this cichlid

Placidochromis koningsi Hanssens 2004    in honor of Adrianus (“Ad”) F. Konings (b. 1956), ichthyologist, cichlid aquarist and publisher, with a particular interest in the cichlids of lakes Malawi and Tanganyika [he also published book in which description appeared]

Placidochromis lineatus Hanssens 2004    striped or lined, referring to its striped melanin pattern

Placidochromis longimanus (Trewavas 1935)    longus, long; manus, hand, presumably referring to its long pectoral fins, ending just past origin of anal fin

Placidochromis longirostris Hanssens 2004    longus, long; rostris, snout, referring to elongate snout

Placidochromis longus Hanssens 2004    long, referring to elongate body shape

Placidochromis lukomae Hanssens 2004    of Lukoma Bay, Lake Malawi, Tanzania, type locality

Placidochromis macroceps Hanssens 2004    macro-, large; ceps, head, referring to larger head than P. longirostris

Placidochromis macrognathus Hanssens 2004    macro-, large; gnathus, jaw, referring to larger mouth compared to most other closely related congeners

Placidochromis mbunoides Hanssens 2004    –oides, having the form of: referring to similar body shape with some mbuna (rock-dwelling) cichlids of Lake Malawi

Placidochromis milomo Oliver 1989    Chichewa word for lips, referring to its greatly hypertrophied lips with fleshy median lobes [coined by Oliver in 1984 but authorship might also involve Eccles and Trewavas, who made name available in 1989]

Placidochromis minor Hanssens 2004    smaller, referring to its small size (48.5-49.0 mm SL)

Placidochromis minutus Hanssens 2004    small, referring to its small size (up to 60.5 mm SL)

Placidochromis msakae Hanssens 2004    of Msaka, Lake Malawi, Malawi, type locality

Placidochromis nigribarbis Hanssens 2004    niger, black; barba, beard, referring to dark-black chin

Placidochromis nkhatae Hanssens 2004    of Nkhata Bay, Lake Malawi, Malawi, type locality

Placidochromis nkhotakotae Hanssens 2004    of Nkhotakota, Lake Malawi, Malawi, only known area of occurrence

Placidochromis obscurus Hanssens 2004    dark, referring to relatively dark melanin pattern in mature males

Placidochromis ordinarius Hanssens 2004    common, referring to its “generalized” appearance

Placidochromis orthognathus Hanssens 2004    orthos, erect; gnathus, jaw, referring to its strongly upward gape

Placidochromis pallidus Hanssens 2004    pale, referring to pale body color

Placidochromis phenochilus (Trewavas 1935)    phaneros, evident; cheilos, lip, referring to its white lips, “conspicuous by their pallor”

Placidochromis platyrhynchos Hanssens 2004    platys, flat; rhynchos, snout, referring to its wide, horizontally flattened snout

Placidochromis polli (Burgess & Axelrod 1973)    in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll (1908-1991), for his research on African fishes

Placidochromis rotundifrons Hanssens 2004    rotundus, round or rounded; frons, forehead, referring to its rounded head

Placidochromis trewavasae Hanssens 2004    in honor of Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900-1993), British Museum (Natural History), who worked on cichlid taxonomy from the late 1920s until her death; “By virtue of her work in the 1930s she is considered the founding ‘mother’ of Malawi cichlid taxonomy”

Placidochromis turneri Hanssens 2004    in honor of George Turner, Bangor University (Wales), for nearly 20 years of work on the ecology, ethology, taxonomy, and evolution of Lake Malawi cichlids; in addition, his 1996 book on the offshore cichlids of Lake Malawi is an “important contribution to the taxonomic knowledge of the non-mbuna cichlids”

Placidochromis vulgaris Hanssens 2004    common, referring to its “typical, ordinary Placidochromis” appearance

Protomelas Eccles & Trewavas 1989    protos, primary; melas, black, referring to its plesiomorphic melanin pattern

Protomelas annectens (Regan 1922)    linking or joining, referring to how this species “connects” Cyrtocara venusta (=Nimbochromis venustus) with C. moorii, its presumed congeners at the time

Protomelas fenestratus (Trewavas 1935)    windowed, referring to mutually crossing bars and stripes on sides, reminiscent of a latticed window

Protomelas insignis (Trewavas 1935)    well-marked, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its plesiomorphic melanin pattern

Protomelas kirkii (Günther 1894)    in honor of John Kirk (1832-1922), Scottish physician, naturalist and explorer, who presented specimens to the British Museum (Natural History), including fishes from Lake Malawi (but not this one)

Protomelas krampus Dierickx & Snoeks 2020    named for Krampus, a demon character in European folklore who puts naughty children in a bag and takes them away, reminiscent of this cichlid’s paedophagous behavior; in addition, the goat-like appearance of Krampus also implicitly refers to this species’ butting behavior, forcing females of other cichlids to relinquish their broods

Protomelas labridens (Trewavas 1935)    Labrus, wrasse (Labridae); dens, teeth, referring to its wrasse-like thick lips and enlarged pharyngeal dentition (Eccles & Trewavas 1989)

Protomelas macrodon Eccles 1989    macro-, large; odon, tooth, referring to its greatly enlarged pharyngeal teeth

Protomelas marginatus marginatus (Trewavas 1935)    bordered, allusion not explained; per Konings (2008), referring to light-colored margin of unpaired fins of type material

Protomelas marginatus vuae (Trewavas 1935)    of Vua, near north end of Lake Malawi, type locality

Protomelas ornatus (Regan 1922)    decorated, presumably referring to its markings: five dark spots at base of dorsal fin alternating with a series of spots above middle of side, two dark bars across upper half of caudal peduncle, and series of spots on dorsal and caudal fins

Protomelas pleurotaenia (Boulenger 1901)    pleuro-, side; taenia, band, referring to blackish lateral stripe

Protomelas similis (Regan 1922)    similar, described as having same color as P. kirkii

Protomelas spilonotus (Trewavas 1935)    spilos, spot; notos, back, presumably referring to five black spots at dorsal-fin base

Protomelas spilopterus (Trewavas 1935)    spilos, spot; pterus, fin, referring to two series of oval, yellow spots on anal fin of males (eggspots)

Protomelas taeniolatus taeniolatus (Trewavas 1935)    taeniola, diminutive of taenia, stripe, i.e., with small stripes, referring to rather dark, narrow transverse stripes usually evident on sides

Protomelas taeniolatus dejunctus Stauffer 1993    separated, referring to its “restricted” distribution (Chinyamwezi and Chinyankwazi islands, Lake Malawi)

Protomelas triaenodon (Trewavas 1935)    triaena, trident; odon, tooth, referring to its mostly tricuspid outer teeth

Protomelas virgatus (Trewavas 1935)    striped, allusion not explained; according to Konings (2010), referring to basic melanin pattern in alcohol

Pseudocrenilabrus Fowler 1934    pseudo-, false, i.e., although this genus may be “superficially somewhat similar” to the wrasse genus Crenilabrus (=Symphodus), such an appearance is false

Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor (Schöller 1903)    multi-, many, referring to diverse coloration as described from aquarium specimens (e.g., upper sides and back a “bright copper purple,” lower sides white, scales with a nacreous iridescence, breeding males a “magnificent, sky blue iridescent coloring” with a vermilion blotch on tip of anal fin), and/or to how it changes color “in fear or in anger,” becoming gray-green with black longitudinal and horizontal stripes (translations)

Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi (Pellegrin 1928)    in honor of John Treadwell Nichols (1883-1958), curator of fishes at the American Museum of Natural History, who described this cichlid as Paratilapia ventralis in 1928 but used a preoccupied name (P. ventralis Boulenger 1898)

Pseudocrenilabrus philander philander (Weber 1897)    philos, friend or lover; andros, of man or men, i.e., “friend of man” but often interpreted as “loving man” (a philanderer, to engage in many love affairs), allusion not explained; since Weber described this cichlid as a mouthbrooder, in which a parent (Weber did not mention which sex) carries fry in his or her mouth, Weber may have been alluding to the opossum genus Philander (or to a particular opossum species, Caluromys philander), marsupials in which mothers carry their young in pouches and then on their backs (Jubb, Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa [1967], suggested that the name refers to its polygamous tendencies, but since Weber did not describe such behavior, this interpretation is highly doubtful]

Pseudocrenilabrus philander dispersus (Trewavas 1936)    scattered or dispersed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its three geographically separated subspecies

Pseudocrenilabrus philander luebberti (Hilgendorf 1902)    in honor of Herr Lübbert, probably Hans Julius Lübbert (1870-1951), German fisheries inspector and director, who collected type

Pseudocrenilabrus pyrrhocaudalis Katongo, Seehausen & Snoeks 2017    pyrrhos, flame; caudalis, of the tail, referring to “bright orange tail which resembles a flame of fire”

Pseudosimochromis Nelissen 1977    pseudo-, false, i.e., although this genus may resemble Simochromis (with its only species at the time, P. curvifrons, previously included in it), such an appearance is false

Pseudosimochromis babaulti (Pellegrin 1927)    in honor of French explorer, naturalist and conservationist Guy Babault (1888-ca. 1932), who collected type

Pseudosimochromis curvifrons (Poll 1942)    curvi-, curved; frons, forehead, referring to the “strongly sloping” (translation) profile of its large and rounded head

Pseudosimochromis margaretae (Axelrod & Harrison 1978)    in honor of Margaret Mary Smith (1916-1987), first director of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology (now the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity); “In addition to the enormous task of continuing her late husband’s work and administering the Smith Institute, Mrs. Smith has found the time to advise and encourage the graduate students at the Institute and take an active interest in their research.” [senior author is Glen S. Axelrod, nephew of pet-book publisher Herbert R. Axelrod]

Pseudosimochromis marginatus (Poll 1956)    margined or bordered, referring to black submarginal band on dorsal fin

Pseudotropheus Regan 1922    pseudo-, false, i.e., although P. (now Tropheops) tropheops “bears a great superficial resemblance” to Tropheus, such an appearance is false

Pseudotropheus benetos (Bowers & Stauffer 1997)    Greek for blue, referring to color of adult males

Pseudotropheus brevis (Trewavas 1935)    short, allusion not explained; according to Tawil (2013), possibly referring to its relatively deep (and therefore shorter lengthwise) body since it is otherwise one of the largest members of the mbuna species group

Pseudotropheus crabro (Ribbink & Lewis 1982)    Latin for hornet, referring to its hornet- or wasp-like pattern of yellow and black bars

Pseudotropheus cyaneorhabdos (Bowers & Stauffer 1997)    cyano-, blue; rhabdos, rod, stick or staff (i.e., stripe), referring to blue horizontal stripe in adults

Pseudotropheus elegans Trewavas 1935    elegant, fine or select, allusion not explained, presumably referring to Trewavas’ opinion of its appearance

Pseudotropheus fuscus Trewavas 1935    dark or swarthy, referring to its uniformly dark coloration

Pseudotropheus galanos Stauffer & Kellogg 2002    Greek for blue, referring to blue highlights along lateral sides of both males and females

Pseudotropheus interruptus (Johnson 1975)    referring to interrupted horizontal midlateral stripe of adult males

Pseudotropheus johannii Eccles 1973    German variant of the name John, in memory of John Johns, a collector of Lake Malawi fishes for the aquarium trade

Pseudotropheus likomae Konings, Miller & Stauffer 2024    of Likoma Island, Lake Milawi, Milawi, Africa, type locality

Pseudotropheus livingstonii (Boulenger 1899)    in honor of Scottish missionary and explorer in Africa, David Livingstone (1813-1873), who collected type

Pseudotropheus lucerna Trewavas 1935    lamp, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its bright appearance

Pseudotropheus perileucos (Bowers & Stauffer 1997)    peri-, around; leucos, white, i.e., white-edged, referring to white lappets on black dorsal fin of adult males

Pseudotropheus perspicax (Trewavas 1935)    clear-seeing, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to larger eyes compared to Melanochromis melanopterus, its presumed congener (described in the same key) at the time

Pseudotropheus purpuratus Johnson 1976    wearing purple, referring to most conspicuous color of males

Pseudotropheus tursiops Burgess & Axelrod 1975    alluding to the marine bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus; this cichlid’s snout, with a conspicuous notch at level of nostrils, is “somewhat similar” to that of the dolphin

Pseudotropheus williamsi (Günther 1894)    in honor of Anglican missionary Joseph A. Williams (d. 1895), who collected several cichlids from Lake Malawi, including type of this one [Williams drowned, along with Bishop Chauncy Maples, when their small boat capsized during a storm and sank in Lake Malawi]

Pterochromis Trewavas 1973    ptero-, fin, presumably referring to fins with elongated rays; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Pterochromis congicus (Boulenger 1897)    –icus, belonging to: referring to its occurrence in the upper Congo River, Democratic Republic of Congo

Pundamilia Seehausen & Lippitsch 1998    Pundamilia, Kishwahili word meaning “striped horse” (i.e., zebra), referring to distinct vertical bars permanently displayed in most species

Pundamilia azurea Seehausen & Lippitsch 1998    latinization of the French l’azur (blue), referring to iridescent blue body coloration

Pundamilia igneopinnis Seehausen & Lippitsch 1998    igneus, flame; pinna, fin, referring to bright-orange fins surrounding deep-black body, resembling a piece of burning coal

Pundamilia macrocephala Seehausen & Bouton 1998    macro-, large; cephalus, head, referring to its “heavy headed” appearance

Pundamilia nyererei (Witte-Maas & Witte 1985)    in honor of Mwalimu (Teacher) Julius Nyerere (1922-1999), President (1961-1985) of Tanzania, where this cichlid occurs in Lake Victoria

Pundamilia pundamilia Seehausen & Bouton 1998    Pundamilia, Kishwahili word meaning “striped horse” (i.e., zebra), referring to conspicuous and diagnostic black-and-white stripe pattern of males

Pungu Trewavas 1972    Barombi name for this cichlid at Lake Barombi-Mbo, Cameroon, where it is endemic [replacement name for Barombia Trewavas 1962, preoccupied in insects]

Pungu maclareni (Trewavas 1962)    in memory Peter Ian Rupert MacLaren (ca. 1919-1956), who used his position as Fisheries Development Officer of Nigeria to collect fishes for the British Museum, including type of this catfish (from Cameroon) in 1948 (he died from wounds inflicted by a crocodile in what is now Zambia)

Pyxichromis Greenwood 1980    pyx, later form of pyge, rump, referring to rump-like protuberance of nuchal musculature, and, “punningly, to the gnome-like physiognomy of the known species”; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Pyxichromis orthostoma (Regan 1922)    orthos, straight; stoma, mouth, presumably referring to its “very oblique” mouth

Pyxichromis parorthostoma (Greenwood 1967)    para-, near, referring to its “great” overall similarity to P. orthostoma, particulary their concave dorsal head profiles

Reganochromis Whitley 1929    in honor of ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (1878-1943), Natural History Museum (London), who proposed this genus in 1920 but used a preoccupied name (Leptochromis Bleeker 1875, =Pseudochromis Rüppell 1835, Pseudochromidae); chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Reganochromis calliurus (Boulenger 1901)    calli-, beautiful; oura, tailed, referring to 4-5 black bars across caudal fin

Rhamphochromis Regan 1922    rhamphos, beak, referring to “produced” snout of R. longiceps; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Rhamphochromis brevis Trewavas 1935    short, referring to its relatively deep body form (Eccles & Trewavas 1989)

Rhamphochromis esox (Boulenger 1908)    esox, pike, probably referring to its pike-like body and strongly compressed head

Rhamphochromis ferox Regan 1922    fierce, presumably referring to appearance of “prominent” chin and “strong” teeth (species is actually small and delicate looking, not a massive piscivore)

Rhamphochromis longiceps (Günther 1864)    longus, long; ceps, head, referring to elongate snout and head

Rhamphochromis woodi Regan 1922    in honor of Rodney C. Wood (1889-1962), game warden, schoolteacher, farmer, railway worker, and nature lover, who presented to the British Museum a “very fine collection” of Lake Malawi cichlids from hauls brought in by local fishermen, including type of this one

Rubricatochromis Lamboj & Koblmüller 2022    rubricatus, red-colored, referring to bright red-coloration on body of most species when in dominance or broodcare; Chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), then beginning to be used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Rubricatochromis bimaculatus (Gill 1862)    bi-, two; maculatus, spotted, referring to two black blotches on sides

Rubricatochromis cerasogaster (Boulenger 1899)    cerasinus, cherry-red; gaster, belly, referring to “carmine-red” (translation) belly

Rubricatochromis cristatus (Loiselle 1979)    crested, referring to minor cusp on lower pharyngeal teeth

Rubricatochromis exsul (Trewavas 1933)    exile or outcast, referring to its “surprising” occurrence in Lake Rudolf (now Turkana), Kenya, far away from the Congo and west-African distributions of its presumed congeners in Pelmatochromis

Rubricatochromis guttatus (Günther 1862)    spotted, referring to large black spots on operculum and side of body, and black round spots on side of head

Rubricatochromis letourneuxi (Sauvage 1880)    in honor of botanist Aristide-Horace Letourneux (1820-1890), who collected type

Rubricatochromis lifalili (Loiselle 1979)    derived from one of its vernacular names near Lake Tumba, Democratic Republic of Congo, type locality

Rubricatochromis paynei (Loiselle 1979)    in honor of fisheries biologist Ian A. Payne, for his interest in the systematics and ecology of hemichromid cichlids of Sierra Leone (type locality; also occurs in Liberia and Guinea)

Rubricatochromis stellifer (Loiselle 1979)    star-bearer, referring to “profusion” of iridescent blue spangles on head, body and fins

Sargochromis Regan 1920    sargos, Greek name of White Seabream, Diplodus sargus (Acanthuriformes: Sparidae), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to superficial resemblance between the two genera; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Sargochromis carlottae (Boulenger 1905)    in honor of “Mrs. Sclater,” wife of zoologist William Lutley Sclater (1863-1944), Director, South African Museum, who presented type to the British Museum; her name was Charlotte, not Carlotta, as suggested by Boulenger’s spelling

Sargochromis codringtonii (Boulenger 1908)    in honor of Thomas Codrington (1829-1918), engineer and antiquarian, who, while visiting his son, Robert Codrington (1869-1908), Colonial Administrator of N.W. Rhodesia (now Zambia), “availed himself of the exceptional facilities afforded him to make a very valuable collection of the fishes, which he has presented to the British Museum,” including type of this cichlid

Sargochromis coulteri (Bell-Cross 1975)    in honor of George W. Coulter, formerly Senior Fisheries Research Officer, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and National Parks of the Government of Zambia (although this cichlid occurs in Angola and Namibia)

Sargochromis giardi (Pellegrin 1903)    in honor of “professeur” Giard, probably zoologist Alfred Mathieu Giard (1846-1908), a contemporary of Pellegrin

Sargochromis greenwoodi (Bell-Cross 1975)    in honor of Peter Humphry Greenwood (1927-1995), Curator of the Fish Section of the British Museum (Natural History), who has been “particularly helpful” to Bell-Cross in his work on Haplochromis (original genus)

Sargochromis mellandi (Boulenger 1905)    in honor of Frank H. Melland (1879-1939), explorer and big-game hunter, who collected a series of fishes from Lake Bangweulu, Zambia, including type of this one

Sargochromis mortimeri (Bell-Cross 1975)    in honor of M. A. E. Mortimer, former Chief Fisheries Officer of the Zambian Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and National Parks, who has “contributed much” to our knowledge of Zambian fishes; with Mortimer’s encouragement, Bell-Cross’ work on Haplochromis (original genus) would not have been possible

Sargochromis thysi (Poll 1967)    in honor of colleague Dirk Thys van den Audenaerde (b. 1934), ichthyologist and Director at the Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale (Tervuren, Belgium)

Sarotherodon Rüppell 1852    sarothron, brush; odon, tooth, referring to fine, brush-like teeth in jaws that are flexible to the touch, compared to coarser and fixed teeth of Tilapia

Sarotherodon caroli (Holly 1930)    in honor of Carol (Latin for Charles, Carl or Karl), patronym not identified but possibly in honor of German physician, anthropologist and natural history collector Karl Albert Haberer (1864-1941), who provided a collection of fishes from Cameroon to Naturhistorisches Staatsmuseum (Vienna), presumably including holotype if this one

Sarotherodon caudomarginatus (Boulenger 1916)     caudo-, tail; marginatus, edged or bordered, referring to broad black edge of caudal fin

Sarotherodon galilaeus galilaeus (Linnaeus 1758)    –eus, adjectival suffix: referring to Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias), Israel, type (now lost) locality (also occurs in Syria, Jordan, and northern and central Africa)

Sarotherodon galilaeus borkuana (Pellegrin 1919)    –ana, beloning to: Borkou, a region in central Africa, mostly in northern Chad, type locality

Sarotherodon galilaeus boulengeri (Pellegrin 1903)    in honor of ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858-1937), for describing so many “new and interesting” species from the Congo basin, and for the “kindness with which he welcomed” Pellegrin in London the previous year (translations)

Sarotherodon galilaeus multifasciatus (Günther 1903)    multi-, many; fasciatus, banded, referring to 8-9 “well-marked” black crossbands on body of young specimens, the narrower bands disappearing until there are only five on adults

Sarotherodon galilaeus sanagaensis (Thys van den Audenaerde 1966)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Sanaga River system, Cameroon, where type was purchased from a fisherman (and only known area of occurrence)

Sarotherodon knauerae Neumann, Stiassny & Schliewen 2011    in honor of Barbara Knauer, former technician at the Max Planck Society (Seewiesen, Germany), who “substantially supported [the third author] as a technician and friend” during his Ph.D. studies

Sarotherodon lamprechti Neumann, Stiassny & Schliewen 2011    in honor of Jürg Lamprecht (1941-2000), who worked for his Ph.D. on haplotilapiine cichlids, and who supported the third author as a mentor, teacher and friend at the Max Planck Society (Seewiesen, Germany), and the first author as a teacher

Sarotherodon linnellii (Lönnberg 1903)    in honor of Lönnberg’s friend Gunnar Linnell, a Swedish plantation owner in Cameroon, who sent a collection of fishes and crustaceans from that country, including type of this cichlid

Sarotherodon lohbergeri (Holly 1930)    in honor of Karl Lohberger, Holly’s colleague at Naturhistorisches Staatsmuseum (Vienna); Lohberger published six papers on fishes (1929-1930) and then dropped from the ichthyological record

Sarotherodon melanotheron melanotheron Rüppell 1852    melanos, black; anthereon, chin, referring to variably intense black markings on lower jaw of adults

Sarotherodon melanotheron heudelotii (Duméril 1861)    in honor of Jean-Pierre Heudelot (1802-1837), French botanist and explorer in West Africa, who collected type

Sarotherodon melanotheron leonensis (Thys van den Audenaerde 1971)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Sierra Leone, type locality (also occurs in Liberia)

Sarotherodon mvogoi (Thys van den Audenaerde 1965)    in honor of hydrobiologist Léon Mvogo, Station de Pisciculture de Melen (Yaounde, Cameroon), who collected type

Sarotherodon nigripinnis nigripinnis (Guichenot 1861)    nigri-, black; pinnis, fin, referring to “dark blackish brown” (translation) fins

Sarotherodon nigripinnis dolloi Boulenger 1899    in honor of “learned” colleague, Belgian paleontologist Louis Dollo (1857-1931)

Sarotherodon occidentalis (Daget 1962)    western, presumably referring to type locality in western Guinea, near the western coast of Africa (also occurs in Liberia and Sierra Leone)

Sarotherodon steinbachi (Trewavas 1962)    in honor of entomologist Gerhard Steinbach (1923-2016), Humboldt University of Berlin, part of the expedition, led by zoologist Martin Eisentraut (see Konia eisentrauti), during which type was collected

Sarotherodon tournieri tournieri (Daget 1965)    in honor of Jean-Luc Tournier (1907-1985), Director of Scientific Research in Ivory Coast, where type locality (Cavally River at border with Liberia) is situated

Sarotherodon tournieri liberiensis (Thys van den Audenaerde 1971)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Liberia, type locality (also occurs in Ivory Coast)

Schubotzia Boulenger 1914    –ia, belonging to: zoologist Johann G. Hermann Schubotz (1881-1955), who collected many fishes (including type of S. eduardiana) as a member of the Deutsche Zentral-Afrika Expedition (1907-1908), and who edited publication in which description appeared

Schubotzia eduardiana Boulenger 1914    –iana, belonging to: Lake Edward, border between Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, type locality (also occurs in Lake George and Kazinga Channel)

Schwetzochromis Poll 1948    in honor of Russian-born Belgian physician-entomologist Yakov (later Jacques) Schwetz (1847-1957), who collected type of S. neodon during a medical survey of the Fwa River, Democratic Republic of Congo; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Schwetzochromis neodon Poll 1948    neo-, new (i.e., unique); odon, tooth, referring to its dentition, “entirely different from all the known cichlids of the Congo Basin and only vaguely resembling that of other African Cichlidae” (translation)

Sciaenochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989    sciaeno-, referring to superficial resemblance to species of the drum or croaker family Sciaenidae; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Sciaenochromis ahli (Trewavas 1935)    in honor of ichthyologist-herpetologist Ernst Ahl (1898-1945), who described this cichlid in 1926 as Haplochromis serranoides, preoccupied by H. serranoides Regan 1922 (=H. spekii)

Sciaenochromis benthicola Konings 1993    benthos, deep; –cola, dweller or inhabitant, referring to type specimen being “caught at a great depth with hook and line”

Sciaenochromis fryeri Konings 1993    in honor of Geoffrey Fryer (b. 1927), former Fisheries Research Officer, Joint Fisheries Research Organisation of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, who “systematically observed the fishes of Lake Malawi in their natural habitat”

Sciaenochromis psammophilus Konings 1993    psammos, sand; philos, loving, referring to its occurrence over sandy substrates

Serranochromis Regan 1920    serrano-, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to superficial resemblance (particularly the large mouth) to the grouper family Serranidae; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Serranochromis altus Winemiller & Kelso-Winemiller 1991    high, referring to its deep body and high dorsal profile

Serranochromis alvum Stauffer, Bills & Skelton 2021    Latin for blotches, referring to prominent lateral pigmentation

Serranochromis angusticeps (Boulenger 1907)    angustus, narrow; –ceps, head, referring to its “very strongly compressed” head (i.e., narrow between the eyes)

Serranochromis cacuchi Stauffer, Bills & Skelton 2021    named for the Cacuchi River, type locality, and where it is “most likely narrowly endemic”

Serranochromis cuanza Stauffer, Bills & Skelton 2021    named for the Cuanza River, Angola, type locality (and probably endemic to the Cuanza River system)

Serranochromis jallae Boulenger 1896    in honor of Rev. Luigi (Louis) David Jalla (1860-1943), Paris Missionary Society, who collected type [although named after a man, some classically trained zoologists latinized the names of individuals whose names ended with the letter “a” by adding an “e” to the spelling]

Serranochromis janus Trewavas 1964    after the Roman god Janus, who has two faces, referring to the fact that the geographical position of this cichlid requires us to “look both ways” [italics in original] for its affinities, inviting comparison to both Serranochromis of the Congo system and the piscivorous Haplochromis species of Lake Victoria

Serranochromis longimanus (Boulenger 1911)    longus, long; manus, hand, referring to pectoral fins, “as long as head, reaching vertical of origin of anal [fin] or beyond”

Serranochromis macrocephalus (Boulenger 1899)    macro-, long or large; cephalus, referring to larger head compared to S. robustus, its presumed closest congener

Serranochromis meridianus Jubb 1967    –anus, belonging to: meridies, south, referring to distribution relative to congeners

Serranochromis robustus (Günther 1864)    full-bodied or stout, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to body shape compared to other species of Hemichromis (original genus) described in same paper

Serranochromis spei Trewavas 1964    in honor of Service Piscicole d’Elizabethville (SPE) [Elizabethville is now Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo]; also Latin for hope, referring to “hope for the future of African fishery research, management and conservation” [italics in original]

Serranochromis stappersi Trewavas 1964    in honor of physician-biologist Louis Stappers (1883-1916), head of the Belgian mission to the Congo, who collected type in 1911

Serranochromis swartzi Stauffer, Bills & Skelton 2021    in honor of ichthyologist Ernst Swartz, South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIB), primary explorer on the SAIB’s Cuanza River program, who collected type

Serranochromis thumbergi (Castelnau 1861)    patronym not identified, possibly in honor of Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg (note spelling, 1743-1828), who traveled through southern Africa in 1772-1774 and is regarded as the founder of South African botany

Shuja Genner, Ngatunga & Turner 2022   from the Swahili noun shujaa, a brave person or warrior, referring to the “notable” territorial behavior of males

Shuja horei (Günther 1894)   in honor of Capt. Edward Coode Hore (1848-1912), missionary, explorer, navigator and cartographer, who collected holotype

Simochromis Boulenger 1898    simus, pug- or blunt-nosed, referring to snout “descending in a strong curve”; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Simochromis diagramma (Günther 1894)    referring to how “upper profile of the head descending in a curve” reminds one of the grunt genus Diagramma (Lutjaniformes: Haemulidae)

Spathodus Boulenger 1900    spathe, a broad blade or paddle used for stirring or mixing (i.e., a spatula); odous, teeth, referring to slender teeth of S. erythrodon, cylindrical at their base, spatulate at their tip

Spathodus erythrodon Boulenger 1900    erythros, red; odon, tooth, referring to deep-red coloration of teeth (found in all eretmodine cichlids)

Spathodus marlieri Poll 1950    in honor of Belgian zoologist Georges Marlier, director of IRSAC (Institut pour la Recherche Scientifique en Afrique Centrale) on Lake Tanganyika, who collected type

Steatocranus Boulenger 1899    steatos, fat; cranus, helmet or head, referring to well-developed hump on head of dominant males of S. gibbiceps (seen in most congeners too)

Steatocranus bleheri Meyer 1993    in honor of explorer and ornamental-fish wholesaler and supplier Heiko Bleher (b. 1944), who collected type

Steatocranus casuarius Poll 1939    etymology not explained but almost certainly referring to cassowary birds (genus Casuarius, from the Malay name kasuari), which, like males of this cichlid, have a large hump on the head

Steatocranus gibbiceps Boulenger 1899    gibbus, hump; ceps, head, referring to well-developed hump on head of dominant males

Steatocranus glaber Roberts & Stewart 1976    bald or smooth, referring to scaleless head hump, a character that “does not uniquely distinguish this fish from other Steatocranus, but it is still appropriately descriptive for this fish” (Donald J. Stewart, pers. comm.)

Steatocranus masalamasoso Ibala Zamba, Weiss, Mamonekene, Schliewen & Vreven 2022    named for Masala Ma Soso Rapids, Léfini River drainage, middle Congo basin, Republic of the Congo, type locality; “masala ma soso” means “chicken feathers,” referring to the splashing and foaming water in the rapids where the water violently hits the rocks, which, according to local inhabitants, alludes to a hen taking a dust bath

Steatocranus mpozoensis Roberts & Stewart 1976    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Mpozo River, Democratic Republic of Congo, type locality

Steatocranus rouxi (Pellegrin 1928)    in honor of Swiss herpetologist Jean Roux (1876-1939), curator, Natural History Museum of Basel, who “kindly entrusted” (translation) Pellegrin to examine fishes from the museum’s collection, including type of this cichlid

Steatocranus tinanti (Poll 1939)    in honor of André Tinant (1901-1940), who collected fishes in the Belgian Congo, including type of this one

Steatocranus ubanguiensis Roberts & Stewart 1976    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ubangui River system, Central African Republic, where type locality (Mbomou River) is situated

Stigmatochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989    stigma, spot, referring to small suprapectoral spot below upper lateral line, small supra-anal spot between the lateral lines, and spot at end of caudal peduncle; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Stigmatochromis macrorhynchos Stauffer, Cleaver-Yoder & Konings 2011    macro-, long; rhynchus, snout, referring to its elongated snout

Stigmatochromis melanchros Stauffer, Cleaver-Yoder & Konings 2011    melas, black; kros, skin or surface of body, referring to overall black color of breeding males

Stigmatochromis modestus (Günther 1894)    modest or unassuming, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to uniform brownish-black coloration

Stigmatochromis pholidophorus (Trewavas 1935)    pholis, scale or spot; phorus, bearer, presumably referring to five blackish spots at base of dorsal fin, two on upper caudal peduncle, large black spot below upper lateral line, another between the lateral lines, and a third at end of caudal peduncle

Stigmatochromis pleurospilus (Trewavas 1935)    pleuro-, side; spilos, spot, referring to small suprapectoral spot below upper lateral line, small supra-anal spot between the lateral lines, and a spot at end of caudal peduncle

Stigmatochromis woodi (Regan 1922)    in honor of Rodney C. Wood (1889-1962), game warden, schoolteacher, farmer, railway worker, and nature lover, who presented to the British Museum a “very fine collection” of Lake Malawi cichlids from hauls brought in by local fishermen, including type of this one

Stomatepia Trewavas 1962    stomatus, mouthed, referring to large mouth of S. mariae; epia, local Bantu word for tilapiine fishes

Stomatepia mariae (Holly 1930)    matronym not identified, perhaps in honor of Holly’s wife Maria (née Sperat)

Stomatepia mongo Trewavas 1972    Barombi name for this cichlid at Lake Barombi-Mbo, Cameroon, where it is endemic

Stomatepia pindu Trewavas 1972    Barombi name for this cichlid at Lake Barombi-Mbo, Cameroon, where it is endemic

Taeniochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989    taenia, band, referring to continuous midlateral stripe running from snout to caudal-fin base; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Taeniochromis holotaenia (Regan 1922)    holo-, entire; taenia, band, referring to midlateral stripe running entire length of body, from snout to caudal-fin base

Taeniolethrinops Eccles & Trewavas 1989    taenia, band, referring to oblique band from nape to caudal-fin base; Lethrinops, presumably referring to previous places of its species (except T. praeorbitalis) in that genus

Taeniolethrinops cyrtonotus (Trewavas 1931)    kyrtos, arched; notos, back, referring to its “highly arched dorsal outline”

Taeniolethrinops furcicauda (Trewavas 1931)    furca-, fork; cauda, tail, referring to its “deeply emarginate” caudal fin

Taeniolethrinops laticeps (Trewavas 1931)    latus, wide or broad; ceps, head, allusion not explained, presumably referring to wide mouth and head

Taeniolethrinops macrorhynchus (Regan 1922)    macro-, long; rhynchus, snout, referring to preorbital bone (snout) longer than postorbital part of head

Taeniolethrinops praeorbitalis (Regan 1922)    pre-, in front; orbitalis, eye socket, referring to preorbital bone (snout) longer than postorbital part of head

Tangachromis Poll 1981    tanga, referring to Lake Tanganyika, where it is endemic; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Tangachromis dhanisi (Poll 1949)    in memory of Baron Dhanis, the “nice” (translation) boat that transported Poll and his team around Lake Tanganyika during expedition that collected type

Tanganicodus Poll 1950    Tangani-, referring to Lake Tanganyika, where it is endemic; –odus, tooth, but in this case referring to its relationship with other erotmodine cichlids, Eretmodus and Spathodus

Tanganicodus irsacae Poll 1950    of IRSAC (Institut pour la Recherche Scientifique en Afrique Centrale), which supported Poll’s research at Lake Tanganyika

Teleogramma Boulenger 1899    teleos, complete; grammus, line, referring to its uninterrupted lateral line (which misled Boulenger into believing it was a labrid, not a cichlid)             

Teleogramma brichardi Poll 1959    in honor of aquarium-fish exporter Pierre Brichard (1921-1990), who collected type in the rapids near Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Teleogramma depressa Roberts & Stewart 1976    depressed, referring to more flattened head and body compared to congeners, and perhaps to any known cichlid species

Teleogramma gracile Boulenger 1899    slender, referring to its elongate, compressed body

Teleogramma monogramma (Pellegrin 1927)    mono-, one; gramma, line, referring to its complete lateral line, a “very interesting peculiarity” (translation) among cichlids, most of which have an interrupted lateral line

Teleogramma obamaorum Stiassny & Alter 2015    in honor of U.S. President Barack Obama (b. 1961) and First Lady Michelle Obama (b. 1964), for their “commitment to science education, development, gender equality, and self-reliance for all peoples of African nations, and their dedication to environmental conservation in Africa and beyond”

Telmatochromis Boulenger 1898    telmatos, etymology not explained, perhaps swampy (although genus does not occur in swamps) or muddy, perhaps referring to brownish colors of T. temporalis and T. vittatus in alcohol; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Telmatochromis bifrenatus Myers 1936    bi-, two; frenatus, bridled, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to three dark-brown lines or bars, forming a bridle-like appearance, near each eye: (1) extending from lower third of eye back through opercular point, (2) extending forward from each eye and meeting in front of head, (3) connecting lower part of each eye with mouth

Telmatochromis brachygnathus Hanssens & Snoeks 2003    brachy, short; gnathus, jaw, referring to smaller mouth compared to the similar T. temporalis

Telmatochromis brichardi Louisy 1989    in honor of aquarium-fish exporter Pierre Brichard (1921-1990), for his “considérable” contributions to the knowledge of the fishes of Lake Tanganyika, where this cichlid is endemic

Telmatochromis dhonti (Boulenger 1919)    in honor of G. Dhont-De Bie, Belgian East African Expeditionary Force, who collected type

Telmatochromis macrolepis (Borodin 1931)    macro-, large; lepis, scale, referring to larger scales than Julidochromis ornatus, its presumed congener at the time

Telmatochromis temporalis Boulenger 1898    allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its orange temporal band (per Boulenger 1906)

Telmatochromis vittatus Boulenger 1898    banded, referring to a brown lateral stripe from upper lip, through eye, to base of caudal fin (where it expands into a spot), and another dark brown stripe from vertex along base of dorsal fin

Thoracochromis Greenwood 1979    thorax, breastplate, referring to “small and clearly size-demarcated scales” on thoracic region; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Thoracochromis albolabris (Trewavas & Thys van den Audenaerde 1969)    albus, white; labrum, lip, allusion not explained nor evident, perhaps referring to pale color of its thick lips in alcohol

Thoracochromis buysi (Penrith 1970)    in honor of Peter J. Buys, South African taxidermist, herpetologist, ornithologist, and Curator of the National Museum of Namibia, who collected type

Thoracochromis lucullae (Boulenger 1913)    of the Lucula River, Angola, type locality [sometimes placed in Haplochromis]

Thoracochromis wingatii (Boulenger 1902)    in honor of Reginald Wingate (1861-1953), Sirdar (commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Army) and Governor-General of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, “to whose assistance, so kindly granted to Mr. Loat [see Haplochromis loati] on his journey through the Soudan [former English name for Sudan], the success of this part of the Nile Fish-Survey is in no small measure due”

Thysochromis Daget 1988    replacement name for Thysia Loiselle & Welcomme 1972 (preoccupied by Thysia Thomson 1860 in Coleoptera), originally named in honor of ichthyologist D. Thys van den Audenaerde (b. 1934), for his contribution to the systematics of African cichlids in general and for his work on pelmatochromine cichlids in particular; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Thysochromis ansorgii (Boulenger 1901)    in honor of explorer William John Ansorge (1850-1913), who collected type

Thysochromis emili Walsh, Lambog & Stiassny 2019    in honor of Emil Woolf Kentridge-Young, grandson of South African artist and animator William Kentridge (b. 1955) and his wife Anne Stanwix, a rheumatologist, for their support of research in Africa

Tilapia Smith 1840    latinization of !api, !Kung word for fish (“!” pronounced as a click, transcribed as “ti”)

Tilapia baloni Trewavas & Stewart 1975    in honor of ichthyologist Eugene K. Balon (1930-2013), who collected type while stationed at the Central Fisheries Research Institute (Chilanga, Zambia) in 1970

Tilapia brevimanus Boulenger 1911    brevis, short; manus, hand, referring to shorter pectoral fin compared to Tilapia melanopleura (=Coptodon zillii), its presumed congener at the time

Tilapia busumana (Günther 1903)    –ana, belonging to: Lake Busum-chi (or Bosumtwi), Ghana, where it is endemic

Tilapia guinasana Trewavas 1936    –ana, belonging to: Lake Guinas, Namibia, where it is endemic (but introduced elsewhere)

Tilapia pra Dunz & Schliewen 2010    referring to both the Akan word pra (river) of the Kwa language family spoken in Ghana, and to the River Pra, from which drainage type was collected (also occurs in Ivory Coast), alluding to its riverine distribution as compared to the lacustrine distribution of its apparent sister taxon T. busumana

Tilapia ruweti (Poll & Thys van den Audenaerde 1965)    in honor of ethologist Jean Claude C. Ruwet (d. 2007), University of Liège, who donated type

Tilapia sparrmanii Smith 1840    patronym not identified, probably in honor of Swedish naturalist Anders Sparrman (1748-1820), who explored the Cape area of South Africa in 1775

Tramitichromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989    trames, a byway, referring to departure of pharyngeal jaws from the usual range of the structure; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Tramitichromis brevis (Boulenger 1908)    short, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its length (70 mm), as short as or shorter than the 10 other cichlids described in the same paper (70-370 mm)

Tramitichromis intermedius (Trewavas 1935)    intermediate in form, with the short snout, few gill-rakers, and short pharyngeal blade of T. brevis, and the pharyngeal teeth structure of Lethrinops argenteus and L. lethrinus, its presumed congeners at the time

Tramitichromis lituris (Trewavas 1931)    blotted, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “indefinite patch” on upper lateral line below spinous dorsal fin 

Tramitichromis trilineatus (Trewavas 1931)    tri-, three; lineatus, lined, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to three bands or dark streaks: at base of dorsal fin, a parallel streak above or crossing upper lateral line below spinous dorsal fin, and along lower lateral line running forward to head or ending below some part of spinous dorsal

Tramitichromis variabilis (Trewavas 1931)    named for its variable melanin pattern, sometimes consisting of an oblique series of spots from nape to caudal-fin base, or sometimes an incomplete oblique band from nape, intersecting the lateral line below posterior part of spinous dorsal fin

Trematocara Boulenger 1899    trema, hole; kara, head, referring to large sensory pores (“muciferous cavities”) on head of T. marginatum

Trematocara caparti Poll 1948    in honor of oceanographer André Capart (1914-1991), member of the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946-1947), during which type was collected

Trematocara kufferathi Poll 1948    in honor of chemist Jean Kufferath, member of the Belgian Hydrobiological Mission to Lake Tanganyika (1946-1947), during which type was collected

Trematocara macrostoma Poll 1952    macro-, long or large; stoma, mouth, referring to very large and deeply cut mouth, the concealed maxillary extending back to center of eye

Trematocara marginatum Boulenger 1899    margined, presumably referring to blackish edges on dorsal and anal fins

Trematocara nigrifrons Boulenger 1906    nigri-, black; frons, forehead, referring to blackish bar across interorbital region

Trematocara stigmaticum Poll 1943    spot or mark, referring to light bluish triangular streak on anterior portion of dorsal fin

Trematocara unimaculatum Boulenger 1901    uni-, one; maculatum, spot, referring to large round black spot on posterior third of spinous dorsal fin

Trematocara variabile Poll 1952    presumably referring to “variable” number (5-8) of hypertrophied sensory channels in the suborbital (decreasing in size when there are 6 or more)

Trematocara zebra De Vos, Nshombo & Thys van den Audenaerde 1996    referring to zebra-like dark lines (sometimes spots) on sides

Trematochromis Poll 1987    trematos, hole, referring to enlarged cephalic pores clearly visible in head; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Trematochromis benthicola (Matthes 1962)    benthos, deep or sea-bottom; –cola, dwelling in, referring to habitat in deep sublittoral zone (10-50 m) of Lake Tanganyika, over a rocky bottom

Trematocranus Trewavas 1935    trema, hole; kranos, helmet (i.e., head), referring to enlarged or swollen pore canals of preorbital and orbital bones

Trematocranus brevirostris Trewavas 1935    brevis, short; rostris, snout, referring to its shorter snout compared to T. microstoma

Trematocranus labifer (Trewavas 1935)    labes, spot or defect; fero, to bear, presumably referring to opercular spot, four black patches on each side (one on nape, two on upper lateral line, one at end of caudal peduncle)

Trematocranus microstoma Trewavas 1935    micro-, small; stomus, mouth, allusion not explained but its mouth appears to be smaller relative to other cichlids

Trematocranus pachychilus Dierickx, Hanssens, Rusuwa & Snoeks 2018    pachy, thick; cheilus, lip, referring to its thick and fleshy lips

Trematocranus placodon (Regan 1922)    placo-, plate; odon, tooth, referring to a “large and strong plate bearing large rounded flat teeth” on lower pharyngeal

Triglachromis Poll & Thys van den Audenaerde 1974    Trigla, gurnard genus (Triglidae), referring to finger-like extensions of pectoral fins, similar to three anterior rays of pectoral fins of gurnards; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Triglachromis otostigma (Regan 1920)    otos, ear; stigma, spot or mark, referring to blue-black opercular spot

Tristramella Trewavas 1942    –ella, diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of Henry Baker Tristram (1822-1906), English clergyman, traveler, ornithologist, and early supporter of Darwinism, who collected Palestinian (region, not the state) cichlids for the British Museum

Tristramella sacra (Günther 1865)    sacred, referring to Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee),

Tristramella magdalenae Lortet 1883    matronym not explained; since this taxon (now extinct) was known only from lakes Hula and Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) in Israel, the name may refer to Mary Magdalene (or Mary of Magdala), a disciple of Jesus Christ who, according to gospel, witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection, and/or to Magdala, a village on the shore of Lake TiberiasIsrael, type locality, in an area generally known as the “Holy Land”

Tristramella simonis simonis (Günther 1864)    etymology not explained, perhaps genitive singular of Simon, original name of Saint Peter, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, possibly referring to “St. Peter’s Fish,” a Biblical story in which Peter caught a fish from the Sea of Galilee that carried a coin in its mouth; though the passage does not name the fish, many believe it was Saratherodon galilaeus galilaeus, whereas others suggest it was this species, which has a mouth large enough to accommodate a coin

Tristramella simonis intermedia Steinitz & Ben-Tuvia 1959    etymology not explained, presumably intermediate in form between T. s. simonis and T. magdalenae

Tropheops Trewavas 1984    tautonymous with Pseudotropheus tropheops Regan 1922

Tropheops biriwira Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016    Chichewa word for green, referring to greenish color of territorial males

Tropheops gracilior (Trewavas 1935)    comparative of gracilis, slender, referring to more slender body compared to typical examples of T. tropheops

Tropheops kamtambo Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016    Chichewa word for blue, referring to coloration of breeding males

Tropheops kumwera Li, Konings & Stauffer 2016    Chichewa word for south, referring to distribution in southern part of Lake Malawi

Tropheops macrophthalmus (Ahl 1926)    macro-, large; ophthalmus, eye, allusion not explained, possibly referring to large size of eye in relation to short head

Tropheops microstoma (Trewavas 1935)    micro-, small; stoma, mouth, referring to its much narrower mouth compared to the similar T. tropheops

Tropheops modestus (Johnson 1974)    modest or unassuming, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to the slight (or modest) differences between it and the similar Chindongo elongatus, its presumed congener at the time

Tropheops novemfasciatus (Regan 1922)    novem, nine; fasciatus, banded, referring to nine dark vertical bars crossing body

Tropheops romandi (Colombé 1979)    in honor of evolutionary neurobiologist and geneticist Raymond Romand, Institut de Génétique et Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (llkirch-Graffenstaden, France), for his work on African fishes

Tropheops tropheops (Regan 1922)    ops, appearance, referring to how this cichlid “bears a great superficial resemblance” to Tropheus

Tropheus Boulenger 1898    nurse or, per Boulenger, “one who rears, brings up, educates,” referring to how females mouthbrood their eggs and fry

Tropheus annectens Boulenger 1900    linking or joining, referring to its close taxonomic position to T. moorii

Tropheus brichardi Nelissen & Thys van den Audenaerde 1975    in honor of aquarium fish exporter Pierre Brichard (1921-1990), who provided type

Tropheus duboisi Marlier 1959    in honor of Marlier’s colleague, limnologist Jean Dubois, who collected type

Tropheus moorii Boulenger 1898    in honor of its discoverer, John Edmund Sharrock Moore (1870-1947), cytologist, zoologist and Tanganyika expedition leader

Tylochromis Regan 1920    tylos, knot, knob or lump, presumably referring to “strong apophysis” (bony protuberance) on posterior parasphenoid of P. jentinki; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Tylochromis aristoma Stiassny 1989    ari-, large; stoma, mouth, referring to prominent lower jaw and large-mouth appearance of adults

Tylochromis bangwelensis Regan 1920    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Lake Bangwelu, Zambia, type locality

Tylochromis elongatus Stiassny 1989    referring to the relatively elongate, gracile body form of adults

Tylochromis intermedius (Boulenger 1916)    presumably referring to its scale formula, intermediate between that of T. jentinki and T. lateralis

Tylochromis jentinki (Steindachner 1894)    patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Fredericus Anna Jentink (1844-1913), curator at Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (now Naturalis) in Leiden, Netherlands, and editor of its journal (where description was published)

Tylochromis labrodon Regan 1920    labros, fierce or greedy; odon, tooth, presumably referring to its formidable pharyngeal tooth development (enlarged rounded teeth covering nearly entire pharyngeal plate)

Tylochromis lateralis (Boulenger 1898)    of the side, presumably referring to upper lateral line ending below last dorsal-fin rays and/or lower lateral line extending from shoulder to caudal fin, where it culminates in three branches

Tylochromis leonensis Stiassny 1989    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Sierra Leone, where type locality (Taia River in Njala) is situated

Tylochromis microdon Regan 1920    micro-, small; odon, tooth, presumably referring to numerous “small slender” bicuspid teeth on lower pharyngeal

Tylochromis mylodon Regan 1920    mylo-, grinder; odon, tooth, referring to molariform (“large, rounded, blunt”) teeth on lower pharyngeal

Tylochromis polylepis (Boulenger 1900)    poly, many; lepis, scale, referring to its high lateral line count (54-59 scales) compared to congeners

Tylochromis praecox Stiassny 1989    premature, referring to its “reproductive precocity” (sexual dimorphism of buccal dentition and coloration clearly evident in specimens <100 mm SL)

Tylochromis pulcher Stiassny 1989    beautiful, referring to male coloration

Tylochromis regani Stiassny 1989    in honor of ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (1878-1943), Natural History Museum (London), whose “pioneering” work “laid the foundation” for this and many other studies of African freshwater fishes

Tylochromis robertsi Stiassny 1989    in honor of ichthyologist Tyson R. Roberts (b. 1940), whose knowledge of African waterways and their fishes has been of “great value” to this and many other studies of African freshwater fishes

Tylochromis sudanensis Daget 1954    –ensis, suffix denoting place: presumably referring to its occurrence in the Sudan, the geographic region to the south of the Sahara, stretching from western to eastern Central Africa

Tylochromis trewavasae Stiassny 1989    in honor of Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900-1993), British Museum (Natural History), who “so generously shared her knowledge” of African cichlids with colleagues and students, and who brought this species to Stiassny’s attention

Tylochromis variabilis Stiassny 1989    variable, referring to its relatively wide range of body forms and LPJ (lower pharyngeal jaw) development

Tyrannochromis Eccles & Trewavas 1989    tyrannus, tyrant, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its large size, large mouth, piscivorous diet, and ambush feeding strategy; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Tyrannochromis macrostoma (Regan 1922)    macro-, long or large; stoma, mouth, referring to its very large mouth, the maxillary extending to below eye

Tyrannochromis nigriventer Eccles 1989    nigri-, black; venter, belly; according to Konings (2011), Eccles confused this species with his underwater observations of the similar T. macrostoma, which indeed has a black belly

Variabilichromis Colombé & Allgayer 1985    variabilis, variable, referring to how head morphology of V. moorii can vary from one side of the head to the other in thesame individual; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Variabilichromis moorii (Boulenger 1898)    in honor of its discoverer, John Edmund Sharrock Moore (1870-1947), cytologist, zoologist and Lake Tanganyika expedition leader

Wallaceochromis Lamboj, Trummer & Metscher 2016    in honor of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913), co-founder of the theory of evolution and founder of biogeography; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Wallaceochromis humilis (Boulenger 1916)    modest, humble or unassuming, allusion not explained; described as “yellowish” below, perhaps Boulenger was comparing it with the “beautiful rose-colour” of Pelvicachromis pulcher (whose name means beautiful), its presumed congener at the time

Wallaceochromis rubrolabiatus (Lamboj 2004)    rubrum, red; labiatus, lipped, referring to red lips of males

Wallaceochromis signatus (Lamboj 2004)    marked, referring to black markings on dorsal fin of males and black spot on caudal fin of females

Xenochromis Boulenger 1899    xenos, strange or foreign (i.e., different), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to unique dentition (small, close-set, compressed recurved teeth in a single series); chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Xenochromis hecqui Boulenger 1899    in honor of Lieut. Célestin Hecq (1859-1910), who served in the Belgium Forces stationed in the Congo fighting the slave trade and commander of the fort at Albertville (now Mtoa); he collected many fishes from Lake Tanganyika, including type of this one

Xenotilapia Boulenger 1899    xenos, strange or foreign (i.e., different), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to three (vs. two) lateral lines and/or longer inner (vs. outer) ventral-fin rays of X. sima, characters not seen on most other cichlids; Tilapia, catch-all genus for African cichlids

Xenotilapia bathyphilus Poll 1956    bathy, deep; philos, lover (i.e., a noun, lover of the deep), proposed as a subspecies of X. ochrogenys collected in deeper waters (down to 100 m compared to 50 m)

Xenotilapia boulengeri (Poll 1942)    in honor of ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858-1937), “whose work made known most of the fishes of Lake Tanganyika” (translation)

Xenotilapia burtoni Poll 1951    of Burton Bay, near Tembele, Lake Tanganyika, type locality

Xenotilapia caudafasciata Poll 1951    cauda, tail; fasciatus, banded, referring to vertical bands in caudal fin of males

Xenotilapia flavipinnis Poll 1985    flavus, yellow; pinnis, referring to yellowish fins seen on most specimens

Xenotilapia longispinis Poll 1951    longus, long; spinis, spine, referring to prolonged spines (longer in males) in anterior part of dorsal fin

Xenotilapia nasus De Vos, Risch & Thys van den Audenaerde 1995    long-nosed, referring to its narrow, rounded and prominent snout

Xenotilapia nigrolabiata Poll 1951    nigro-, black; labiata, lipped, referring to blackish upper lip of both sexes

Xenotilapia ochrogenys (Boulenger 1914)    ochro, yellow; genys, chin, referring to bright chin (and lips) seen in some males

Xenotilapia ornatipinnis Boulenger 1901    ornatus, decorated; pinnis, fin, referring to large blackish or oblique bars on dorsal fin and/or “blackish chevron-shaped band lower down” on caudal fin

Xenotilapia papilio Büscher 1990    butterfly, referring to Papillon, a spontaneous name given to it by Büscher’s Congolese companions

Xenotilapia sima Boulenger 1899    flat-nosed, referring to very steep head profile

Xenotilapia singularis (Boulenger 1914)     remarkable or extraordinary, allusion not explained nor evident

Xenotilapia spilopterus Poll & Stewart 1975    spilos, mark or blotch; pterus, fin, referring to large black blotch on posterior part of spiny dorsal fin in both sexes

Yssichromis Greenwood 1980    yssos, javelin, referring to slender, elongate body shape; chromis, a name dating to Aristotle, possibly derived from chroemo (to neigh), referring to a drum (Sciaenidae) and its ability to make noise, later expanded to embrace cichlids, damselfishes, dottybacks and wrasses (all perch-like fishes once thought to be related), often used in the names of African cichlid genera following Chromis (now Oreochromis) mossambicus Peters 1852

Yssichromis fusiformis (Greenwood & Gee 1969)    fusiform, referring to its slender, elongate body form